A Night To Die
by Suzu Holic
Summary: Roxas had eleven years of borrowed time. Now it's time to pay up. Will Roxas survive the night? Or has he already resigned himself?
1. Prologue: Namine

This is a Halloween fic, dedicated to Daigomi Weaslette.

Disclaimer: I DO not Own Kigndom Hearts Or Any Of It's ideas or characters

PROLOGUE

Your Loving Wife

"Roxas?".

The heavy wooden door creaked open. The young blonde stood hesitantly in the door way. Normally, Roxas didn't mind, but recently things have been tense between the two or rather between Roxas and everything else that lives and breathes.

Roxas, usually so serene, so calm, had become cranky, irritable and prone to shouting streams of curses. The strange phenomena had occurred two weeks ago and proceeded only to get worse. Roxas had swung between high strung and stoic so many times it made her head spin. He shouted over the littlest things at the dinner table until he began to stop saying anything at all, staring at the long dead duck she had prepared.

His gay, blue eyes had dulled and his smiling face darkened, heavy with brooding. For long periods of time he sat in the chair by the window, staring outside through rain and shine. He ignored the streams of sunlight, and paid no heed to the pitter patter of the rain.

Once she had drawn a chair beside him for no reason really. She just wanted to spend some time with her husband, was that so wrong? Instead she found herself in a silence so still a pin could be heard dropping on the carpet.

Namine, being the patient girl she was from her youth had simply folded her hands on her lap and cast her light, sky blue eyes on the still figure by the window. They remained like that for a long time, she waiting, and he, lost in the thoughts wedged between the droplets of the rain. The hands of the clock continued to move, uncaring of the stiff silence between the wife and husband. Time would not slow for her whims nor her breaking marriage. Eventually the time came when she had to excuse herself to a non-existent companion and tuck in their four year old son and five year old daughter.

When the good night kisses were given, the powder bottles placed away and the blankets drawn over the bodies of the stubborn but well meaning children and the light was finally turned off, Namine returned downstairs, back to the side of her vegetable husband.

The impossible happened.

There was a click of a tongue and Namine looked up in surprise. That had certainly not been her. Could it be….? Then she turned to Roxas and once more saw a glimpse of his bright, soulful sea blue eyes. He began with one word: "Sea Stars". And from there the conversation began. They talked throughout the night. Speaking off whiskers, of sandy beaches, of overpriced pampers, normal things like that. Then, eventually they spoke of other things, of friends long gone. Of Kairi, of Sora, of Riku, names not spoken for so long. Speaking now of it, Namine's head was fuzzy. It felt as if those times, those times when she was 'unreal' were nothing but dreams of a long, long time ago…

Then the conversation took a strange turn. Roxas began to talk, and talk and talk and talk. He spoke of random things, then switched topics, then dug up painful memories. Occasionally there were tears. Sometimes laughs. Sometimes, bitterness, sometimes joy…

Namine couldn't keep up. She couldn't understand it but she did understand one thing. Roxas was pouring out a heart that he wasn't supposed to have. It was a miracle really. And so she stayed that way. Listening, nodding when necessary, raising an inquiry, cocking her head or gasping when it felt necessary.

There was one name however…one name that always he spoke.

Finally, Roxas fell back in the chair, as if exhausted his face blissful now that he had released a heavy burden. The fire in the fireplace cackled lowly, the ashes low and cinders in need of sweeping. Namine stared in to the flames in shock.

At that moment Roxas smiled up at her.

"I love you Namine. You will always, always be special to me…". His eyes closed.

"I don't have a heart" he mused, "because it has long belonged to someone else…" he said staring upwards tiredly. Namine lowered her eyes as memories flashed through her mind. Their first kiss. Their first night. Their marriage. The birth of the child. Their family…

She thought she had always had it first, always been the 'only' one in the hollow hole reserved for his heart. But she had been wrong…

Roxas, her husband, bent forward slightly, once again a worldly knowing in his eyes. He slowly set a hand on lightly tapped her wrist causing her eyes to dart upwards to meet his.

"Thank you for listening" he said , his face blank and suddenly very melancholic.

Namine held his gaze a minute longer. "It was my pleasure".

And with those parting words, Roxas let her wrist slip from his hands and stood up . Slowly he ambled out of the room leaving her to her thoughts and the cinders. The next day she woke up to find him in the study instead of his usual place beside her. She decided it was nothing. There were times he got so worked up on his craft he shut himself in his work room, painting all day.

He didn't come out all day. The next day came, and once again he did not emerge. Then came a third day. She knocked on his room. It was October thirty first, surely he would come with his children when they went Trick or Treating, but no answer came and finally, sighing she turned around to put a smile on her face and say to the four year old devil and five year old pumpkin that 'daddy as to work tonight'.

The next morning she had had enough. She 'stormed' into his work place (as in didn't wait for permission' and was stunned to find the room empty. On the chair which he usually sat so long , were a set of clothes but no owner. She let them fall from her grasp. He breath quickened and her heart raced as sweat rolled down the side of her pure face. She turned to the side and grabbed the curtain to the exibit room, flinging it away roughly.

Her heart skipped a beat.

This had been her last hope. This room had been the only place on Earth that a man named Roxas could exist. But Roxas was nowhere to be found.

The light filtered through the stain glass windows, Roxas himself had put up, back when the house was new and under renovation. Instead of her husband she saw canvas, beside canvas, with nostalgic faces painted on their rough, blank surfaces. Sometimes there was a picture of a brown haired boy with messy hair, accompanied by a silver haired boy with a sour expression and a joyful redheaded girl who brought about sweet nostalgia. Sometimes it was the foreboding picture of thirteen hooded phantoms, gracing the edges of her memory with chilling whispers.

What caught her attention was the huge and relatively new canvas in the middle of the room. She had seen it before, blank. He said he would make it his masterpiece. Now, the canvas reserved for such an important creation was filled to the corner.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she plopped to the floor, knocking over a stool on which a letter addressed to her was resting on. But she had eyes for the painting only.

Staring back at her, were sharp, elegantly shaped emerald eyes.

The painting wasn't of her.

oOoOoOo

So that's my beginning chapter, the prologue if you wish. So if any of you are a little confused about what's going on, allow me to clear things up.

This is somewhat of an alternate universe fanfiction, wherein, when Roxas and Namine were absorbed by their original counterparts, they lived there on in an alternate mirror universe where instead they existed, while Sora, Kairi and the rest didn't. By now, it has been eleven years from the end of the Kingdom Hearts Story Line, making Naime and Roxas Twenty-six. They had by then married, and produced two children, the older, a blonde haired girl named Umi (for sea) of five years old. She has the same color of her mother's hair but the personality and hair style of Kairi. The other is a little boy named Fuu ( for wind) of four years old. He's honey blonde but with Sora's hair style and his father's personality.


	2. Dusk

~ DUSK ~

Acknowledgement

Tic, Toc, Tic, Toc…

Roxas tapped the pen against the side of the table in rhythm with the strokes of the large grandfather clock as he stared at the partly filled sheet of paper before him.

_'Dear Namine…_' he began.

He stopped. He hadn't gotten any further than that. He sighed, leaning back in his chair. Tonight was the night. Yet why was he so calm? He wasn't sure. He sighed once more, deeper this time as his eyes swept across the room. He would miss this place. He would miss it's thick curtains, it's stain glass windows and the odor that cast around the room, a mix of paint and sea water a result of the scent that wafted from the sea just outside.

No. It wasn't just the place he would miss, but the people…

He shook his head.

He had been born fifteen. He had no true memories before that. Even though, many people close to him, loved by him were gone…the idea of reuniting with them wasn't as appealing, knowing that he would have to leave the people he had lived his 'life with', those being his beautiful wife Namine, and two rowdy, blonde children: Fuu, four and Umi, five.

His eyes landed on the clock once more.

Yes. It was October 31.

It was the night he had dreaded and yet anticipated for all his life. It had been the same night, approximately eleven years ago which he had made the deal with the devil and it was this night that he would pay the price.

Roxas smiled briefly. He didn't regret it. Eleven years of borrowed life wasn't too bad…not with all these beautiful, elusive memories. That's right. He broke the rules of reality. A nobody….with his own life time of memories? It was too good to be true…but that freedom…that joy would end tonight.

Tonight was his last night. Tomorrow, November the first…ah, that would be the day Roxas died.

Suddenly the lights flickered, on and off, on and off. Roxas looked upwards as all around him an invisible gust blew shuffling papers and running through his hair. Ah yes, but before his rest…apparently there was a certain ritual and a parade of other worldly guests…

He glanced at the clock. 6:30. Just on time. Dusk had arrived, and along with it…

"You're trying too hard to be dramatic…" he muttered.

Roxas stood up, setting his papers aside as he paced throughout the room. Soon enough the window unlatched itself and he started, spinning around to catch a glimpse of nothing. He scratched his head, as he made his way towards it. It was cold outside and he didn't want to deal with a draft and a cold on his last night. Grabbing hold of the curtains and pushing them in, he reached for the freezing window knobs and pulled them shut.

Then…

"BOO!".

He let out a shriek and fell backward on the carpeted floor, a boy of fifteen with messy, unruly brown hair, landing on his stomach. Roxas groaned as his blue eyes fluttered open, to meet another pair of exactly alike blue eyes. At first he was unsure. This person's face was rounder, eyes brighter, and a grin unlike his own….but it dawned on him that his strongest memories of most people were from years past and that Roxas himself may or may not have looked like that, eleven years ago.

So, with that in mind he attempted to get back on to his feet, after all, it was unsightly to see the man of the house sprawled under a mere teenager, but the brown haired 'monkey' as Roxas would later describe him to his final guest, wouldn't budge.

"So, Roxas…" came his impish greeting, "how's life been treating you…it's been, how long?". Roxas glanced up with a tad bit irritation, "eleven years" he answered sullenly.

The boy made a face, "eleven years? You're old!".

He received a smack on the head. Immediately the monkey froze up, before Roxas took advantage of this and kicked him off. "Augh! You're so violent Roxas!" the monkey sputtered. Roxas was going to let the whole being sat on top of thing slide, but half way towards his arm chair, he changed his mind, and decided to add in a couple of other stomps for good measure.

"Ow! Ow! Hey! Cut it- OWW!".

A few minutes later, and the two were on calmer notes, Roxas sitting once more in his favorite arm chair, sipping tea, the monkey sitting on the floor, scratching his unruly hair when Roxas had produced for him, a banana."What's this?" he asked finally after a while.

Roxas glanced at him disdainfully. "Bananas are the most fitting snack item for a monkey, no?".

The boy dropped the banana, speechless. "I'm not a monkey" he said with all seriousness, testing the waters. A sigh of content escaped Roxas's lips as he set the tea cup down on its saucer. "Then what are you?".

His companion lowered his eyes. "You don't remember me…at all?". Roxas stared him down, cold blue eyes, not betraying any thought, his face not giving the slightest hint of a 'yes' or 'no'. "I remember that we fought" he said finally, stirring the drenched tea leaves in his cup, absent mindedly, " and that you always won".

The boy's face turned smug and he opened his mouth about to say something, when Roxas cut in, "that's perhaps the reason why I try to forget you".

The boy's grin ended in a frown, before his face lightened. "Ah, well, Kairi was right I guess, I am stubborn". Roxas's finger twitched."Kairi…". The 'monkey' grinned toothily, "that was a bonus answer, since she won't be meeting you later, but it should help jog your memory a little, right?".

The older of the two, set his gaze outside the window, tapping the arm rest of the chair, his free hand cupping his face as his eyes fell into deep thought. "Who were you to me…?" he mumbled. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two, one which the boy took the pleasure of breaking.

"A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory. A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream. I want to line the pieces up... yours and mine" .

Roxas looked up, once again meeting the pair of determined, fiery eyes, so like his own, yet so different from his dead blue eyes. "You…are very familiar to me…we have met before" he murmured, a statement forming in his mind, "but where?".

The other smiled, "inside you, inside me…Roxas, it isn't that hard to admit that you remember, now stop being such a sour puss, come on. What were the last words you said to me, that time?". Roxas frowned, he didn't like being talked down to, but his companion was persistent.

"Come on!, You can do it! What did you say to me?".

Roxas let out a growl, "what are you talking about? I don't have time for silly games like this. You're wasting my precious time" he said standing up, only to feel a large weight on his arm, tugging him down. Glancing left he saw that his companion had latched on to him.

"Don't run away, Roxas! This is a very important question! If you can't even acknowledge me, how can you acknowledge the others?".

Roxas was losing his patience, "what others?".

"You're friends!".

For the first time a hint of surprise registered on the blonde's face. "Friends…I can't remember. It's been so long, eleven years…but all those things…it seems like a dream. Did any of that really happen?". The other smiled wistfully, "does it matter? You just need to remember because they are what make you, you….from the beginning to the end. If it was a beautiful dream, that what does it matter, when it happened? You'd want to remember wouldn't you?".

The fire burned low, as outside it darkened and the sun began to set.

At that moment the clock began to chime, the hand falling upon the seventh hour.

"Ah…my time's up…but...I just want to be acknowledged...I want proof that I ...exis...ted..." the other murmured, looking out at the window with large, blue, sorrowful eyes as he began to fade with the last rays of the sun before it was swallowed up in darkness.

"_I don't need a weapon! My friends are my power!_"

"_No! This huge, black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't... ow!__"_

_"__It wasn't a dream! Or was it? I don't know. What was that place... so bizarre...__"_

_"__The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart.__"_

_"__Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone.__"_

_"__That's not true! The heart may be weak, and sometimes it may even give in. But I've learned that deep down, there's a light that never goes out.__"_

_"__You're wrong. I know now, without a doubt, Kingdom Hearts is light!__"_

_"__Roxas... I wish I could meet him too..."_

Roxas fell back in to his chair, the occurrences too surreal for his down to earth mind to comprehend and his mind reeling from the sudden reflux of memories. He stared at the grandfather clock, as the hand ticked into the next minute, his face unreadable, making it unfathomable what could he be thinking.

"You make a good other…".

And the hand struck its destination, the sky outside now completely dark.

They had moved on to the seventh hour.

oOoOoOo

So, can anyone guess who was Roxas's first visitor?

I admit, some details may not exactly match but basically you can guess who it is, right? First one to guess right get's a cyber cookie! Now, a little back ground on the whole thing. Since this fan fiction needed to be somewhat Halloween related, i decided to give it an other worldly feel, by having spirits or other wis ememories of the people he met come back to haunt him.

It's main idea was based around the story of Faust and is set in the period of time as he waits for the devil (I'll let ou all anticipate who that will be) to come fetch this case the borrowed time isn't as strongly pointed out, but either way Roxas borrowed Eleven years to live in his own world, rather than fade into Sora completely. Think of it as a nother digital twilight town.

Other stories that had a say in this fan fic would be the 'Five People You Meet in Heaven' and a 'Christmas Carol'.


	3. The 7th Hour

~ THE 7TH HOUR~

Forgiveness

Before too long, time had resumed and the clock continued to work, much to Roxas's chargin. He had wanted more time, but he knew better than to be too selfish. He was only allotted a certain time after all. He vaguely wondered what other phantoms would come to haunt him...

He had been so wrapped up in his sentiments over the mysterious, yet familiar brown haired boy, that he had not realized that although his companion had left so suddenly, another had come to take his place. All he saw from the corner of his eye was a black hood.

Perhaps it had been because the other had never uttered a sound, or perhaps he was simply so immersed in his musings that she had gone unnoticed for so long, but the time finally came and she accidentally knocked over an easel capturing his immediate attention.

"When did you get in?" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet, immediately to confront, the visibly shorter individual. Whatever was going on in her mind, didn't seem to include intimidation. She ignored, or otherwise didn't notice his irked expression as she proceeded to right up the easel.

"It's a very well made painting, but it's not finished. Why?" she asked, pointing to the half painted canvas. On it were the basic colors of several faces, and the background of a cobblestone village bathe din twilight rays of the setting sun.

Roxas shrugged ruefully. "I came up with another project , besides I had been stuck on that painting for so long, I just couldn't picture the faces well enough to…".

A brush held by a foreign, gloved hand dabbed in to the blue paint, before moving up to eyes of the lone, unfinished face. "She had blue eyes. Like yours. Like Sora's ". Roxas blinked, another wave of surprise brought upon by her meek, yet surprisingly determined demeanor. Her words were soft and gentle as she brought about the images so vividly and so second to nature that he had to wonder if he had really spent two whole years trying to recall them.

He wasn't sure why he had let his guard down so suddenly despite the fact that she had not taken of her hood and that she had now, so boldly interfered with his painting (finished or not).Well, she knew what he was doing, which he did not, so the grown up, just let the child muck around, knowing she would get it right in the end.

The time passed without either exchanging a word, she simply working and he, simply taking refuge in her presence. She was much more calming, compared to the hyper, ever so loud brown monkey he had previously encountered. In fact, it was in his few words that he had found answers. Watching the slow, gentle, rhythmatic strokes of her brush pulled him in to a trance where old memories bubbled to the surface.

The boy's name was Sora. He had been Roxa's original, therefore apart of Roxas and vice versa. They had fought somewhere in a very dark place. The victory was supposed to go to him, but Sora's heart was stronger…

'_That's right…we didn't get to meet much after that battle…I always wanted to see him again, and now…'_.

"There. It's finished".

A light hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality, and her serene voice seemed to fold away to hazy memory of a boy named Sora and tuck it away in a drawer for another time. "Let me see" he commanded. He needed not tell her twice, as she glided out of the way to stand lightly to his left. His curious eyes landed on a face so pure, so joyful that a tear nearly escaped the corner of his hardened eyes.

A young girl, tomboyish with her short, black hair cut, but with a shy little smile and a light blush spread across her cheeks as a younger version of himself scooted closer to her in order to avoid the melting droplets of a popsicle held over his head by a mischievous red haired man.

Roxas drew back and nodded, after a while as he felt pangs in his chest one after another. He struggled to maintain his composure. "That's her…" he whispered wistfully, his hand reaching out for the face on the portrait only to twitch and pull back, afraid to mess the paints.

Yes, it was such a strong, such a beautiful memory…

He missed her so much. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but could not, out of fear that he would disturb the calm waters, and that the funny tricks of time would snatch the precious memory of her away from beneath his finger tips.

"I wish I could see her again…There were so many things I should have said, should have shared, so meany things to apologize for…".

The hooded figure nodded in understanding and draped it's arms around his neck from behind. Even with him sitting she was exactly his height. She let out a sigh of release.

"I know, sweetie" she cooed softly, wrapping her arms around him lovingly, in a maternal manner."She knows. She's always been there".

They passed the remaining time in silence, both comfortable with the warmth the other provided. But the clock struck eight, and Roxas opened his eyes, as if awakening from a dream , feeling nothing but cool night air behind him. Slowly he turned around.

The hooded figure was nowhere in sight, and gone with it, was the warmth. He turned back to face the easle.

But the smiling, face remained forever etched in his memory.

_"Is it that I'm not supposed to exist?_"

_"I want...I want to be...with you two."_

_"Roxas... I need you... to do me a favor. All those hearts that I've captured... Kingdom Hearts... Set them free."_

_"Goodbye, Roxas.. See you again. I'm glad... I got to meet you. Oh... and of course,- too. You're both my best friends. Never forget. That's the truth."_

_"Roxas, don't be sad. I came from you and Sora. I am you... the same way that I am Sora. You'll forget me, but the memories themselves will never go away. Memories of you and me will always be together... forever, inside him."_

The time had flown by so quickly, it was almost unfair to him. He looked at the clock. 7:59? Namine and the kids were probably still out, trick or treating. He felt a pang of guilt. His last night and he couldn't spend it with the people he loved? Just like the girl from the painting, was he going to leave so abruptly, without being able to say good bye?

His eyes fell on the near blank piece of paper. Hadn't he been writing a letter? He got up from the simple stool before the easle and returned to his famed arm chair, picking up the writing implements along the way. It wasn't too late. Perhaps he wouldn't be able to show how much he loved them, or say it directly, but hopefully his pen could say enough.

With that in mind, as he scribbled furiously on the parchment, the hand swung on to the large, bold, infinite eight.

oOoOoOo

There we go, chapter Three, Done!

So, who wants to guess who it is this time? XD I hope it wasn't too...corny. This was one of my favorite chapters though, since I tried to keep it as short , sweet and as myetsrious as possible...though I bet it's pretty much obvious who visited him at the seventh hour!

Anyway, feed back and reviews, just for the sake of it, would be awesome!


	4. The 8th Hour

~The 8TH HOUR~

Time

Before too long, Roxas found him stuck once again.

It was more difficult than he thought, he soon realized, too tell his wife and children that he wouldn't be around. He swallowed hard and set the pen down. He hadn't even gotten to see his children grow up. There were many things he had wanted to be able to do with them…

Like when they were older, perhaps learn how to play the Frisbee …or one day take trips to the beach and have some salt sea ice cream. Heck he even wanted to be around to watch them bicker. Fuu was normally very mild and Umi rather responsible, but it would only be a matter of time before she would have to start probing him to do his homework, or drag him around to help her shop…

Soon he found himself puzzled and he scratched his chin.

These were familiar to him as well. Memories from one special summer vacation long ago…but who were with him at that time?

"Urg….so troublesome…" he scratched his head fiercely as his dark blue eyes darted around the room, hoping to find some kind of sign or something to jog his memory. He chewed his lip, trying even harder to pull out the memory, but the more he tried the duller it was.

Why couldn't he remember it? He was sure it was important and he knew that he needed to remember in order to 'progress' he more or less figured that out. Still the memory did not present itself to him. By now he was doubled over, back hunched as he shut his eyes tightly, trying with every fiber of his being to recall.

_There are three of us._

For a moment three faceless figures graced his memory, smiling and laughing with carelessness only youth could possess.

_Two boys and a girl._

His pen slid off the arm chair and he pushed himself off the chair to retrieve it.

_It was summer vacation._

Outside the impossible began to happen. Roxas jumped to his feet as suddenly yellow beams of light began to flood through the drawn drapes and in to the solemn study. He made a grab for the paper h had left on the coffee table before, clutching the pen and paper closely to his chest he slowly made his way towards the drapes.

_You even wished it would never end._

The room began to shake and the yellow light that flooded through the drapes intensified all the more. Roxas gulped. "It can't be what I think it is…". He cast a worried glance at the clock. 8:01 in the evening. It was supposed to be pitch black.

_You wanted to stay with us, in twilight town forever._

Perhaps it was just the lantern of some trick or treater outside or perhaps a prankster taking advantage of the fact that everyone was out at this time. '_Some strong lamp'_ Roxas's common sense answered much to his distaste. His fingers flung to the curtains. He'd tell off the youngster at once, the light had nearly blinded him the first time.

The drapes came wide apart with a flurry and Roxas froze, hands out stretched awkwardly for what he saw outside was a large, blood red sun, half risen, half set, permanently nestled on the never changing horizon. He made a strange choking noise and turned once more to the clock as he rubbed his eyes.

There! The clock read 8:02! How could the sun be up? "Wait…there's a logical explanation, I'm sure…maybe the clock's broken, it _is_ rather old" he muttered. But that couldn't be. It had been dark just minutes ago! Maybe….maybe he had fallen asleep, and when he woke up…oh no!

That meant he was out of time!

Roxas began to panic and as he stepped back , he tripped over a stool, landing flat on his back, in the exact same spot he had landed a few hours before with a brown haired monkey on his stomach. He didn't have much time to groan and complain because suddenly a creak resounded throughout his house and before he knew it the floor boards collapsed.

…

"Is he ok…?" comes a timid voice.

He groaned. All he saw was a dull red from under his closed eye lids.

"Naw, I'm sure he's fine. I mean it was just the third floor…" came another voice, loud and cocky.

He groaned. Third floor? What were they taking about.

"JUST the Third floor…? Have you ever fallen from the third floor, hm? Have you, Hayner?" a girls voice followed by an uneasy silence . "Er…well…I'm not that dumb to try that…" the cocky boy again, the one called 'Hayner.

A light guffaw. Apparently the girl was pleased with herself, having made her point. "Oh don't be so snippy , Olette".

"I-! I'm n-not!" a quick retort. She didn't want to come off as a braggart. "Guys, look, he's coming to!".

Roxas opened his eyes slowly. Not the fluttering motion one had when waking up from a pleasant dream, more like the type one had when one lay low and quietly pretending to be asleep, but actually had been awake all the time, listening...

"Roxas! Nice to have you back, buddy!" a hand reached out to ruffle his hair and Roxas shifted upwards, mumbling a quick, "hey, quit it". At the moment he was a bit too dazed to really question what was going on here or to even ask why they knew his name. The sudden twilight in a previously night time land had seen to that. He cast his eyes around and soon figured out what they had been babbling about in concern with the 'third floor'.

All around him lay over turned furniture, some crushed wardrobes, some splintered tables and several floor boards, now visibly broken. He quickly took note of the grandfather clock. It was jutting out awkwardly from beneath a pile of floor boards and was half crushed under his arm chair. He winced noticeably. His idea of 'calm departure' wasn't going to go well at all. Now when Namine came home not only would her husband be gone, her house would be a mess….if there was even a house left there at all…come to think of it, the scenery outside the few, non debris covered windows didn't quite match the scenery in Radiant Gardens. For one thing, there was now a giant clock tower outside…

Looking about absentmindedly he stood up "can you kids tell me what…happened….. here …shit."

All of a sudden the 'kids' were the same height as him if not taller. No….No. Yeah, they were taller.

The trio stared at him with puffed cheeks and reddened faces, as the tubby one stuffed a fist in his mouth and turned away . Giggles wracked the bodies of each and every one.

"Did you hear that, did he just say 'shit'?" Pence gasped in between laughs. "Yeah, yeah I think he did…" Olette added breathlessly. Hayner wagged a finger at Roxas while simultaneously holding his sides together, "now, now, _Mister_, that's no way for a kid to talk! I think you're a decade early, old man!".

That did it, the other two burst in to peals of laughter ending in hiccups all around.

Roxas was much too occupied to share their amusement and instead darted past the kitchen and in to the powder room in search of the large five foot, full body mirror, which was, much to his dismay broken. Damn, he needed to find another….in the down stairs basement! He took flight once again, passing the gurgling trio as he did . His aim was the kitchen door frame, that's where they kept the key!

He reached up only to find himself a foot or two lacking.

Only then did it occur to him. The key had never been out of reach before, it was only now. Only now that…

Revelation struck.

"I'M SHORT!".

At that time someone tapped his shoulder.

Regretfully he turned around only to have a cone of ice cream nearly shoved in his face. "Oh come, on, shorty" Hayner grinned. At once the jovial laughter was replaced by a smile of knowing from the self proclaimed 'leader' of the trio. "When was the last time you had a summer vacation?".

Roxas blinked before slowly reaching out to accept the sea ice cream. He stared at it longingly, bits of recognition glinting in his eyes every now and then. He looked upwards at the patch of pink sky seen through the large hole in the floor boards.

"I say….way too long ago" he smiled elusively.

Smiles flashed on Pence and Olette's faces as they drew nearer both latching on to Hayner's shoulders to whisper their respective plans.

Hayner smirked before glancing at the dejected grandfather clock poking out of the floor boards. "Well…I say, we have about…forty-five…fifty minutes. C'mon".

He extended a hand.

"Let's have some fun".

And so, the quartet went along, thoroughly exploring Twilight Town and stuffing in every little aspiration they could wanting to make full use of the precious forty-five minutes. They had managed to fit in a game of frisbee, irk some of the village bullies, steal a couple of potatoes in jest only to drop some change when the sellers weren't looking...They had a blast, to say the least, but even happiness had an end.

Infact, Roxas had just finished sliding down the ramp on his newly reaquired skateboard to the cheers of his friends and a gasp of worry from Olette who had covered her eyes at that time, when suddenly their voices cut off in to silence.

They had overstepped the boundary.

The eight hour had fully passed in all pleasantries and happiness.

But there were still three hours to midnight and eight hours til dawn . How turbulent may these hours be?

oOoOoOo

And there's chapter four! As you can see, Roxas has grown backwards, and is now, yup, you guessed it, short( at least for the eight hour)! Here is his brief encounter with Hayner, Pence and Olette.

The stage has changed. How shall the next hours proceed?

Reviews are much welcomed and I shall take votes if ever as to who are the next characters to appear. Also, should Roxas continue as it os, or is there perhaps something still worth living for? You decide.


End file.
